Frugal! Yes, that was the exhortation in Madero's paper to men who, when
they are able to get work, make twenty-five cents a day. A man owning
5,000,000 acres of land exhorts the disinherited workers of Mexico to be
frugal!
The idea that such a condition can be dealt with by the immemorial
remedy offered by tyrants to slaves, is like the idea of sweeping out
the sea with a broom. And unless that frugality, or in other words,
starvation, is forced upon the people by more bayonets and more strategy
than appear to be at the government's command, the Mexican revolution
will go on to the solution of Mexico's land question with a rapidity and
directness of purpose not witnessed in any previous upheaval.
For it must be understood that the main revolt is a revolt against the
system of land tenure. The industrial revolution of the cities, while it
is far from being silent, is not to compare with the agrarian revolt.
Let us understand why. Mexico consists of twenty-seven states, two
territories and a federal district about the capital city. Its
population totals about 15,000,000. Of these, 4,000,000 are of unmixed
Indian descent, people somewhat similar in character to the Pueblos of
our own southwestern states, primitively agricultural for an immemorial
period, communistic in many of their social customs, and like all
Indians, invincible haters of authority. These Indians are scattered
throughout the rural districts of Mexico, one particularly well-known
and much talked of tribe, the Yaquis, having had its fatherland in the
rich northern state of Sonora, a very valuable agricultural country.
The Indian population--especially the Yaquis and the Moquis--have always
disputed the usurpations of the invaders' government, from the days of
the early conquest until now, and will undoubtedly continue to dispute
them as long as there is an Indian left, or until their right to use the
soil out of which they sprang _without paying tribute in any shape_ is
freely recognized.
The communistic customs of these people are very interesting, and very
instructive too; they have gone on practising them all these hundreds of
years, in spite of the foreign civilization that was being grafted upon
Mexico (grafted in all senses of the word); and it was not until forty
years ago (indeed the worst of it not till twenty-five years ago), that
the increasing power of the government made it possible to destroy this
ancient life of the people.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account